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As the bidding war between Dish and SoftBank for the merger of Sprint intensifies, SoftBank is pulling out all the stops to block Dish from getting in the way.

The Japanese wireless carrier launched a new Web site on Tuesday pointing out the reasons it believes it should be the company to acquire Sprint. It also funded a study (pdf) for an industry expert to question the benefits that Dish claims would come from its Sprint merger.

Sprint has been in talks with SoftBank since last October regarding a $20.1 billion offer, but as the closing date neared, Dish … Read more

Clearwire told shareholders in a letter sent on Monday that its best path lies in an acquisition by Sprint Nextel.

The letter laid out in extensive detail why Sprint's offer of $2.97 a share provides the best value for shareholders. Nowhere in the letter does it reference Dish Network's rival bid for Clearwire, which is actually higher at $3.30 a share.

According to Clearwire's board, Sprint's offer is the only legitimate one. The wireless broadband company said Sprint's offer represents "fair, attractive and certain value." The deal represents the culmination of … Read more

Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen is ratcheting up the war of words with SoftBank over who is the better suitor for Sprint Nextel.

After SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son referred to Dish's unsolicited $25.5 billion bid to buy Sprint from under the Japanese carrier as "incomplete and illusory," Ergen reiterated earlier arguments that a U.S. buyer would be best for the troubled wireless carrier.

"We're offering a higher price. That's just math," he told USA Today on Wednesday. "We are an American company, and the modernization of Sprint's network will … Read more

Intel CEO Paul Otellini is throwing his weight behind SoftBank in the bidding war for Sprint, according to Reuters.

Otellini sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski giving word that he favored SoftBank, a wireless carrier based in Japan, over Dish for the Sprint takeover offer.

Sprint has been in talks with SoftBank since last October regarding a $20.1 billion offer, but as the deal closing has neared Dish came in with a surprise counter offer of $25.5 billion. If Sprint were to accept SoftBank's bid, the deal would close by the beginning of July.… Read more

By far the coolest thing Canada has in space is Chris Hadfield, commander of the International Space Station. He's all over social and news media with his wacky zero-g demos, guitar playing, and amazing photos of Earth.

Today Hadfield notched another first: unveiling a banknote in space. At a Bank of Canada press conference in Ottawa, the mustachioed colonel appeared via ISS video link. He plucked the bank's latest polymer bill from a bracket on the wall, gave it a few weightless twirls, and pointed to the robots it features.

"I just want to tell you how proud I am to be able to see Canada's achievements in space highlighted on our money," Hadfield told Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney. "To feature Canadarm2 and Dextre for the theme of the $5 note, it really marks Canada's contribution to the International Space Station Program, and especially our longtime area of expertise in robotics." … Read more

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son didn't mince words when discussing Dish Network's unsolicited offer to buy Sprint Nextel from under the Japanese carrier.

"To me, it's ridiculous," he said Tuesday of Dish's vision of merging its satellite TV service with Sprint's wireless service.

Son spent more than 90 minutes during an investor presentation in Japan -- primarily conducted in English -- laying out the argument for why his offer remains superior. As such, he doesn't believe SoftBank needs to raise its offer for Sprint.

Dish earlier this month submitted a bid of $25.… Read more

Sprint Nextel has received approval from SoftBank to continue talking to Dish Network about its rival takeover offer, the carrier said Monday.

Sprint has already agreed upon a deal in which it would merge with SoftBank, a wireless carrier based in Japan. But Dish last week launched a sweetened $25.5 billion bid for Sprint.

The carrier said Monday that it had gotten a waiver from SoftBank to clarify and obtain additional information on the Dish proposal. Sprint is now able to enter into a non-disclosure agreement with Dish, although it is not able to provide Dish with non-public information. … Read more

If you use different log-in information for all your online accounts, keeping it all in your head can be rather overwhelming. Password Bank for Mac helps you store all your precious data under one safe roof. Best of all, it utilizes 128-bit encryption to protect your passwords, too.

It only takes a few minutes to install and begin using this free security application. On startup, Password Bank for Mac offers a welcome screen with a log-in field. The default password is 1234, which you can change later. Logging in gives you access to a rather simple but quite intuitive interface. … Read more

Consumers may potentially get an even bigger price break if Dish is able to snap up Sprint Nextel.

Dish's $25.5 billion unsolicited bid for Sprint certainly adds a wrinkle to Sprint's existing merger plans with Japanese wireless carrier SoftBank. But a deal with Dish may be a boon to consumers, particularly ones looking for a mix of video, mobile, and Internet services.

A combination between Dish and Sprint means the two could bundle satellite-TV and mobile service together. In select markets where the telecommunications and cable providers don't have a strong presence -- particularly in rural … Read more